Science Volunteers
Retoris Outskirts - Retoris Protected on three sides by natural defenses, the only way into the harmonious and progressive city of Retoris is through the massive defensive structure known as The Wall, a medieval but effective enclosure punctuated by two devastating neutron cannons. The Wall spreads out in either direction, making you feel rather tiny... Ahead in the distance, the Golden Gates of Retoris shine in the sun, underscored by the beautiful music of deadlocked traffic. <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "Kyeeeaahhhahahahahahahahahahahahha!" <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "If any Autobots have a moment of free time on their hands, I am in need of a test subject!" <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "Err, volunteer." <'Autobot'> Rodimus Prime says, "Pincher, I've had Blaster monitor our channel usage of late, and he reports that the amount of ominous laughter we've had on +a actually has overtaken the Decepticon channel." <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "My apologies, Rodimus Prime. I'm merely field testing alternative defenses of the Retoris Wall, and I do enjoy my work." <'Autobot'> Fathom says, "Oooh! Ohh! Me!" <'Autobot'> Fathom says, "I volunteer!" <'Autobot'> Rodimus Prime says, "Noted. Are your designs still in the prototype stage then? I'm sure Fortress Maximus will be interested in alternative designs for the city proper, as well." <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "Ah! Fathom! Do you have a low melting point I should be aware of?" <'Autobot'> Crusade makes a startled "eep!" sort of noise. <'Autobot'> Fathom says, "Well, I'm pretty resistant to acid." <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "Crusaaaade, is that the sound of volunteering?" <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "It is the Autobot way, after all." <'Autobot'> Crusade says, "I don't want to be melted!" <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "No one *wants* to be melted, Crusade. And yet, when destiny calls we must keep our coms on!" <'Autobot'> Crusade says, "...Yessir." <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "Come Crusade, face your fears...for SCIENCE! AHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" On one of the more scorched parts of the Wall, where Crusade has been instructed to come, there is a large robot scorpion scuttling down the side back back torwards the ground, where a large red 'X' has been painted. Crusade approaches the wall, watching the scorpion scuttling about. He looks nervous, his doorwings angled back, and keeps a wide distance between himself and the painted red X. Mechascorpion perks up at the arrival of Crusade, and hurries over to him. Clickclackclickclackclickclackclickclack. "Ahhhhh, Crusade! The latest and greatest paragon of virtue to empty our ranks! It's a pleasure to meet you." He offers a barbed tail for Crusade to shake. A gob of green liquid drops off of it and sizzles into the ground. "My sources say you've joined us from Kaon! Delightful! I've worked with many subjects from that area. Volunteers. I've worked with many volunteers from Kaon." Crusade hesitantly reaches for the barbed tail, but stops to stare at the green liquid. He quickly raises turns the gesture into a salute - not touching that stuff, nope. "Uh..." He takes a teeny step back when Pincher brings up Kaon, his doorwings sagging. "Subjects?" Mechascorpion cackles. "Volunteers, my dear new friend! Volunteers for the great journey of SCIENCE!" He transforms, and his robot mode is probably just as offputting as his scorpion mode. He is holding (with his pinncher hands) a very large square of what appears to be some sort of plexi-glass, big enough to shelter three or four Crusades under. In the center are handles. For holding. "Now take this, my dear new friend for whom if harm befell I might never recover, and stand on that X. KyeahahahahahahaHAHAHAHA! Pincher transforms into his ROBOT MODE! Crusade gives Pincher an skeptical look, his optical ridges raised. He doesn't trust the other bot one bit and it shows as he takes the large square by its handles. Is it too late to write a will? "You're going to shoot me, aren't you?" he asks as he hauls the thing over to the painted X. Pincher gives Crusade a quizical, almost disappointed look. "Shoot you? Of course not." He points at a large contraption on top of the wall. "I'm going to shoot a vat of atom eating acid at you to test whether or not this new polymore I've developed will withstand it." He transforms back into a scorpion, laughing at Crusade's hilarious one liner as he scuttles up the side of the Wall. "Shoot him. Ha! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You're going to shoot me aren't you? KYEEEEEEEEAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, dear. What a sense of humor." Ohhh hohoheeeHAHAHAHA! Pincher transforms into his MECHASCORPION MODE! "That's... what I was asking..." Crusade shudders and hunkers down beneath the shield, curling up with his arms over his head just in case the polymore can't withstand it. Then again, if the shield is unable to stop the acid, it's unlikely that his plating will be able to. At the top of the wall, Pincher shouts back down to Crusade. "Rrrrrrrrrrrrrreadyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?" Crusade fidgets nervously. "Yessir!" he shouts back. Mechascorpion taps a large red button with his tail, and several ear splitting klaxon alarms go off as the machine powers up. Pincher rubs his forelegs together like a mad scientist. "Yesssss.....so soooooooooooooooon." <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "Test subject is in place, commencing countdown..." <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "hahahahahahahahahah five...." <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "hehehehe ohhhhohohohohohohohoho four..." <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "ooooooooohhhharharharharhar three..." <'Autobot'> Rodimus Prime says, "Hot Spot and the Protectobots are still in Retoris, right?" <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "I believe so." Crusade's doorwings flutter. He wonders how quickly he can run in two seconds or less. <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "Though they may not make it to Crusade in time." <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "Ack! You made me miss the rest of the dramatic countdown." <'Autobot'> Pincher sighs as a weapon can be heard firing on it's own. The device catapults what can only be described as a very large water balloon into the sky. Pincher freezes suddenly. "Oh. Ohhhh...I forgot the wind variable." He almost sounds thrilled at this problem. Wind variable or no, the balloon explodes above Crusade, the blue liquid inside pooling harmlessly on top of the shield. Once it rains down the sides, however, the ground begins wraping and melting like a marshmallow peep in a microwave. Crusade tries to occupy as little space as he physically can, his optics scrunched tightly shut as the acid rains down from above. He's expecting the shield to give way at any moment, and to start dissolving immediately afterwards. Mechascorpion can be heard hurrying back down the wall. On his approach to Crusade, he sighs a little. "The polymor remains completely stable. 100% effective against the lunacliff acid compound." He sounds extremely disappointed. Crusade isn't moving an inch, mostly for his own safety. "Is it safe to come out yet?" Mechascorpion gestures with his tail. "90 more seconds." He just stare at the sizzling ground for a very quiet minute and a half. "Right. Please tell me I won't explode..." He opens an optic to watch the ground sizzle. Mechascorpion shakes his head from side to side sadly. "No...No, Crusade. Not today." He begins taking measurements of the scalded areas, and points into the distance with his tail to Crusade. "Your work is complete, thank you for your participation." This whole thing has been pretty disappointing. Crusade carefully puts the shield aside and gets up, checking himself for damage. "Not today? What's that supposed to mean? Am I going to blow up later?" Mechascorpion stares at Crusade for a long moment. "With any luck, my new friend. With any luck." Crusade finally says what's been on his mind. "...Sir, with all due respect, you are WEIRD." And with that, he starts running for his life, before he really does explode this time. <'Autobot'> Pincher says, "First test of lunacliff acid catapult: the acid was deflected by it's first encounter with March polymore coating. In hindsight, am glad I skipped lab tests and went straight to robot trials. Imagine the time I would have wasted!" Mechascorpion glances up at Crusade and slowly starts to laugh as the mech runs off. "Weird? You are weird, sir." heh.heheheheheheheheh. "I'm going to get shot aren't I? You are weird, sir!" Pincher transforms, doubled over laughing. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Crusade, Heroic Autobot! Function: HILARIOUS COMEDIAN!" KyeahahahahahahaHAHAHAHA! Pincher transforms into his ROBOT MODE!